01 / Depreciation history
The schedule must follow the property
Purchase basis, land allocation, improvements, prior depreciation, and exchange carryovers affect both current deductions and the eventual sale.
Now reviewing fit requests for 2026 individual tax planning and preparation
Tax planning and Form 1040 preparation for rental-property owners
Tax work for rental-property owners who need more than a filed return.
Alpine CPA Services helps higher-income investors address the individual tax consequences of depreciation, passive losses, short-term rentals, K-1s, and major property decisions. Engagements are intentionally limited and begin with a fit assessment.
Licensed Colorado CPAEight years as a Colorado real estate agentSecure virtual process
Form 1040Individual-return focus
$950Investor Tax Blueprint
$1,500+Investor Tax Preparation
$3,500+Planning + Preparation
Why rental tax work is different
Each year's return depends on the history that came before it.
A current deduction may depend on how basis was established years ago. A reported loss may be suspended rather than usable. A sale can expose gaps in depreciation or exchange reporting that were easy to miss while the property was still being held.
02 / Loss limitations
A tax loss is not automatically a usable loss
Participation, income limitations, activity classification, and suspended carryovers determine what reaches the current return.
03 / Decision timing
Some planning ends before filing season begins
Purchases, sales, conversions, exchanges, and short-term rental decisions may require action or documentation before year-end or closing.
Examples from prior reviews
Review finding 01 / STR classification
Review finding 02 / 1031 reporting
The useful finding is often the mismatch between the return and the records.
These examples illustrate the type of issue a focused document review can surface. They are not promises that every return contains an error or that every review produces tax savings.
A short-term rental reported on Schedule C
The activity had been reported as a business subject to self-employment tax. The operating facts provided did not indicate substantial guest services, so Schedule E treatment and prior-year correction needed to be evaluated.
Why it mattered
The reporting schedule can affect self-employment tax, passive-activity treatment, and the way losses carry forward.
A reported exchange that did not match the transaction file
A prior return treated a rental sale as fully deferred. The closing documents and movement of funds raised questions about whether the transaction supported the reported Section 1031 treatment.
Why it mattered
The answer can affect recognized gain, replacement-property basis, depreciation, state tracking, and a later sale.
Examples are based on prior review matters. Facts have been simplified or altered to protect confidentiality. Results depend on each taxpayer's complete facts and applicable law.
The paid diagnostic
Sometimes the right first step is not tax preparation.
The $950 Real Estate Investor Tax Blueprint is a focused, document-based review of one accepted concern. It is used when prior history or an upcoming decision needs to be understood before Alpine can responsibly scope annual service or correction work.
The result may be annual preparation, Planning + Preparation, separately quoted correction work, coordination with an independent CPA firm, or a recommendation that no additional Alpine work is needed.
Review the Blueprint scope- One prior federal and state individual returnFocused review of the agreed Form 1040 and related state return.
- Up to two rental propertiesCentered on the properties relevant to the accepted concern.
- Up to two K-1sLimited to their effect on the individual return.
- One primary concernDefined in writing before the engagement begins.
- Written Blueprint and findings meetingA tangible deliverable, not a free consultation.
Selective by design
Who Alpine is built for - and who it is not.
Likely a good fit
- Higher-income households with long-term rentals, short-term rentals, or a growing portfolio.
- Owners who want an ongoing CPA relationship rather than one isolated tax answer.
- Investors who value planning before a purchase, sale, conversion, exchange, or year-end decision.
- Clients willing to provide organized records and respond before deadlines become emergencies.
- Individuals whose Form 1040 includes rental activity or K-1s prepared elsewhere.
Usually not a fit
- Anyone primarily shopping for the lowest preparation fee.
- Bookkeeping-only, payroll-only, sales-tax-only, or bill-pay work.
- Entity-return-only work with no individual Form 1040 engagement.
- Requests for detailed technical advice before an engagement begins.
- Institutional-scale portfolios that need a larger accounting or outsourced finance team.
Services and starting fees
Three ways to engage Alpine.
The fee depends on the agreed complexity. Additional properties, K-1s, states, sale-year work, amendments, cleanup, and advanced projects are quoted before work begins.
Focused diagnostic
Real Estate Investor Tax Blueprint
$950 flat fee
One prior federal and state individual return, up to two rentals, up to two K-1s, and one primary concern. Includes a written Blueprint and findings meeting.
Review the exact scope →Annual compliance
Investor Tax Preparation
$1,500+ per year
Form 1040 preparation for an individual rental-property owner, including agreed rental activity, depreciation continuity, passive-loss reporting, and K-1 integration within scope.
Start with the fit form →Annual relationship
Planning + Preparation
$3,500+ per year
Annual Form 1040 preparation plus defined planning touchpoints, projections, estimated-tax guidance, and review before agreed property decisions or year-end actions.
See if this service fits →Entity returns are coordinated separately.
Alpine focuses on your individual Form 1040. If a partnership or S corporation return is also required, you engage an independent CPA firm separately for that return. Alpine coordinates the information needed to complete your individual return, while each firm remains responsible for its own engagement and work.
How the process works
Qualification first. Technical work after engagement.
Submit the fit form
Share the essential facts, service interest, timing, and entity or K-1 situation.
Receive the right next step
Alpine may recommend a brief fit call, the Blueprint, direct preparation, Planning + Preparation, or another provider.
Review a written proposal
The fee, scope, responsibilities, and exclusions are documented before technical work begins.
Work through the secure portal
Documents, questions, signatures, and deliverables move through an organized virtual workflow.
Johnny Lujan, CPAOwner, Alpine CPA Services
About Johnny
Real estate context, applied with CPA discipline.
I am Johnny Lujan, a Colorado CPA. Before focusing on tax, I spent eight years as a licensed Colorado real estate agent. That experience gave me a practical understanding of purchases, financing, improvements, conversions, and sales - the transactions that eventually show up on a tax return.
That background is useful, but it is not a substitute for tax analysis. My role is to trace the facts through basis, depreciation, passive-loss reporting, K-1s, and the individual Form 1040.
Alpine is intentionally narrow. I focus on individual planning and return preparation for rental-property owners rather than trying to be the bookkeeper, payroll provider, entity-return preparer, and tax strategist at the same time. Clearer scope creates room for better questions and more careful work.
Common questions
Before you submit the fit form.
How much should I expect to invest?
The Investor Tax Blueprint is $950. Investor Tax Preparation starts at $1,500. Planning + Preparation starts at $3,500 per year. Additional properties, K-1s, states, sale-year work, cleanup, amendments, and advanced projects may increase the quoted fee.
Does everyone have to start with the Blueprint?
No. Alpine uses the Blueprint when prior history or a specific concern needs document review before annual work can be scoped responsibly. A straightforward preparation engagement may begin with a direct proposal.
Do you prepare partnership or S corporation returns?
No. Alpine focuses on the individual Form 1040. If an entity return is required, you engage an independent CPA firm separately. Alpine coordinates the information needed for your individual return, while each firm remains responsible for its own work.
Is there a limit on the number of rentals you will accept?
There is no fixed public property cap. Fit depends on the complexity of the portfolio, record quality, entity structure, states involved, and the level of service needed. Institutional-scale portfolios may be better served by a larger accounting team.
Can I book a call before completing the form?
The fit form comes first. It provides enough context to determine whether a call is useful and keeps the first conversation focused on fit and scope rather than incomplete technical advice.
Do you work only with Colorado residents?
No. Alpine is based in Colorado Springs and works virtually. State availability and complexity are confirmed during qualification.
What is outside the annual fee?
Amended returns, bookkeeping reconstruction, accounting-method work, detailed sale or exchange modeling, notice representation, and other special projects are separately scoped and quoted.
The next step is qualification
Start with fit. Then scope the work properly.
Tell Alpine about your rentals, current tax situation, and the service level you are considering. You will receive a recommendation for the appropriate next step - not an open calendar and not a rushed tax opinion.
